I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and this one did not disappoint! I love Kennedy’s writing but this might be her best book yet. I loved the characters, the plot, the writing and it was refreshing to read a romance with characters in their 30’s post divorce. This book has definitely made it in to my top recommendations list.

Kennedy Ryan is one of the best writers in our generation and I will die on that hill.

I am not a second-chance romance girl but oh my days this was beautiful. I felt part of the family and felt like I was going through their struggles - basically, I was an absolute wreck for most of it.

When I read my first Kennedy Ryan novel - The Kingmaker - I was blown away by just how much I was absorbed by the book. I devoured the sequel The Rebel King just as quickly so I was a bit nervous going into something new from her. I had an ARC copy of this from the publishers however I decided to download it on audiobook and I was really happy with that decision. No need to be nervous because I absolutely loved this and will definitely, definitely reread or listen to it.

The story follows two main characters Yasmen and Josiah. They are ex husband and wife raising two kids together and running their restaurant business.

The characters are so central to this story with a real focus on how they are trying to heal from the loss and hardship in their lives. Yasmen and Josiah divorced under very difficult circumstances but the chemistry and love they had for each other has never quite left them. This is a bit of a tearjerker so be aware of that but over all it’s a beautiful story of love and family and growth. I would highly recommend the audibook, the actors were so great it really made this one enjoyable.

Ensure that you have a steaming cup of cocoa, perhaps some complementary mint ice-cream and a box of tissues at hand before you dive into this gorgeous book!

I absolutely adored this book, one of my favourites of the year. I haven't read anything by Kennedy Ryan before, and wasn't sure what to expect, so I went into this with an open mind. It was warm and devastating, the characters were perfect, it was wonderfully written. Will never stop recommending this book!

This book follows the amazing story of Yasmen and Josiah, a divorced couple, as they discover the new dynamic and life as two separated folks, but it also follows them as they grow, move forward, and flourish from their past.

Phenomenal. It's a topic that has been done before but non quite like this. Slow, thoughtful, with so ,much love, chemistry and character/world building. This is a book about love that comes from learning to love yourself and learning from other life experiences. Highly recommend

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.


It doesn't feel good to say this because apparently I'm in minority among the readers and reviewers but I didn't like this one at all. Some trusted readers told me that I would love it and I certainly didn't.

I couldn't connect to either Yas and Joshua and I thought they were pretty intorable. Not to speak of the daughter....

Also, when the story starts it mentions the "big" thing that got them divorced, but it was so repetitive that it annoyed me and still we were kept in suspense. Not a fan.

I didn't understand their relationship because I couldn't see it for myself. It wasn't shown to me as a reader why they were good together.

This novel was beautiful, yet torturous. It was obvious that the love between Yasmen and Josiah hadn’t gone away but it still managed to be such a gripping read. Even though I knew that the book could only be progressing to one conclusion, I was hooked to the page, hanging onto every word that passed between the couple. I knew that their eventual reunion would be explosive – I was right!

Yasmen and Josiah’s shared trauma prevented them from living the life they truly wanted – one where they could be together again. I loved seeing both develop over the course of the book as they grew to properly appreciate the other’s perspective. Yasmen and Josiah were also able to be open up about their vulnerabilities and fears. They dealt with their feelings in a mature way, wanting to respect the wishes of their former spouse.

I loved how the main couple were surrounded by supportive and caring people. Yasmen’s best friends in particular lit up each scene they were in. As the author’s series continues, I really hope she follows the lives of these women. They were lively, funny and uplifting, but most importantly, felt realistic. Similarly, Yasmen and Josiah’s relationship with their kids felt authentic, at times painfully so. Their teenage daughter, Deja, could be merciless with her criticism of her mum. This was brutal to watch considering everything Yasmen had been through. Therefore, I was so thankful that Josiah would defend her against Deja. Together, they made a really great co-parenting team. I also admired how the author championed therapy and the benefits of being open and allowing self-forgiveness.

OVERALL: I was completely invested in this beautiful yet painful novel. The main characters’ chemistry sparked off the page. The push and pull between them hooked me right up till the explosive conclusion.

Would I recommend?… 100% YES, this is how you do second chance romance!

I really enjoyed this one! The angst, the romance, the love...everything gave! I especially liked the relationship Yas had with her friends, so priceless and I like seeing how the Mother-Daughter relationship played out. This wad a really good read. Kennedy is always giving her best to her books and it shows.

This was a five star read for me. I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend picking up a copy. This is a second chance romance between a couple who have been divorced for a couple of years. I loved the characters in this book and really enjoyed seeing them come back together. This felt like a realistic portrayal of a relationship and I could easily see the love these characters had for one another.

This review is going to be controversial because this release is getting rave reviews across the entire book community and is many readers favorite book of the year, so please take this with a grain of salt. I'm a huge Kennedy Ryan fan and have enjoyed many of her other series, and this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

It's a second chance romance that follows divorced couple Yasmen and Josiah, 2-years post split. They co-parent their two children together, own a business together, but have decided they no longer want to be romantically partnered after tragically losing their third child during a late stage miscarriage.

I've tried to pinpoint what didn't work for me here and it could just simply be wrong book, wrong time - This is a very emotional story, where the characters share many raw feelings and have to work through some serious topics. I found myself not becoming invested in the two characters, and didn't feel the emotion as strongly as I have with Kennedy's other book characters in the past. I did love that therapy is a big theme in this story.

I'll continue to read anything Kennedy Ryan puts out and I'm so glad this book is getting her so much mainstream attention and accolades!

This book, y’all! I can officially confirm it is just as good as everyone says it is. It’s raw and real and goes to show how incredibly talented Kennedy Ryan is.

My favourite trope is always second chance, and Kennedy Ryan’s second chance romances always get me! Also the marriage reconciliation trope is one that I haven’t read enough of!!

❝𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆.❞
❝𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 ? 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂.❞

I feel like Kennedy Ryan’s books are so painfully beautiful and make me feel some sort of way that I always forget how much I love her books!

❝𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻—𝗜’𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗺 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁.❞

Before I let go is no exception! I was hooked from reading the blurb, Yasmen and Josiah’s story felt so real, the grief, hurt and anger they both felt, Kennedy Ryan made me feel it ALL

It’s such a powerful story and deals with real topics that really open your eyes and make you feel!

❝𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀—𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀—𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳.❞

𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀!!

Before I Let Go is a beautifully raw and poignant book about heartbreak, grief, and sorrow. But, most of all a healing reconciliation.

“𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐡’𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦.”

Second Chance is a favourite trope of mine. After loving All The King’s Men Duet by Kennedy Ryan, I just knew this book wouldn't disappoint. It never. It will break your heart and restore it all together again.

“𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.”

Something I love so much about this book is that while grief is such a prevalent subject it’s not overly hard to read. The main topic is Yasmen and Josiah realising they never stopped loving one another.

“𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”

If you want to read a love story between two characters that are meant for each other then read this. The black representation, culture and stigmas within also made it more enjoyable.

“𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬—𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬—𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟.”

5⭐️!!! I mean are we surprised!
This book had me laughing, crying and everything in between!

It was heartbreaking following Yasmen & Josiahs story, so much loss in such a short time can really destroy a marriage as everyone grieves differently.
They haven’t cried meanwhile you can’t seem to stop. They seem to be getting on with life when you can’t get out of bed everyday. Is something wrong with you or them…

The discussions were so raw and real, even the conversation with her daughter who resented her for falling apart and in turn led to the family falling apart.

I cant recommend this book enough

I really loved this book! The main characters, Yasmen and Josiah are far from perfect, they made mistakes, but they evolved and learned from their mistakes and changed. I love that they’re portrayed so real.

I just love how Kennedy Ryan created this amazing story with this amazing couple.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

Headlines:
Crazy investment
Feelings on overdrive
Married couple, second chances

First I just need to start off with the how stunning this cover is. This is hands down my favourite romance cover of the year. Now to the delectable inside...

Before I Let Go gave me the kind of heart on the page feelings I got from Ryan's Grip series. In fact there was a slight similarity in one of the themes but it felt completely fresh in this story. This author has the unusual talent of being able to write romance amongst the worst kind hurt and still bring such palpable chemistry that you're getting all warm under the collar.

"Grief is a grind. It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier."

I adore second chances done well and this second chance for Yasmen and Josiah was all consuming. The place these two started in and the journey they took was utterly mesmerising with angst and frustration, then possibility. I have to mention how I adored how Kennedy Ryan wrote Yasmen's body, a normal woman's body, appreciatively, sexily and that confidence oozed down the page to me the reader. Pretty powerful stuff! I also found Josiah to be such a man surpassing the average contemporary romance lead that he's unforgettable.

I lived for this book over the couple of days I read it, it dominated my thoughts and had I not been distracted by family, I could have happily read from front to back. This book is one I'll re-read, enjoy living the hurt and the triumphs. I remain a huge fan of this author's talent.

"There is only one letter of difference between love and lose, and somewhere along the way, for me they became synonymous."

There are content warnings and these are rightly in the opening pages, as they be raw issues for some.

Thank you to Piatkus books for the eARC.

LIKES
☀️ SO much wonderful talk of therapy and mental health. It covers so many tough topics with care and respect.
☀️ It contains some of my all time favourite tropes including second chance romance, forbidden love and slow burn.
☀️ How it’s almost more about healing from trauma than anything else and it’s done so beautifully.
☀️ The physical spark between the characters 🔥
☀️ Deja and Keem actually read like kids of that age. I’ve recently realised how rare it is for an author to nail this?!
☀️ All the moments food was used to connect the characters to loved ones they’d lost - so sweet.
☀️ It genuinely read like it was someone’s actual life story - that’s how real it felt.
☀️ Every character served a purpose, and it definitely succeeded in making me want to read the next book in the series when it’s released!

DISLIKES
🌙 I wish we’d seen more of their emotional connection beyond their shared grief. Almost all their pining is very much focused on their physical chemistry, and I’d like to have seen a tiny more depth within their relationship beyond this.

This book has absolute rave reviews (4.75* on GoodReads) for good reason - now I 100% want to go back and read a ton of Kennedy’s backlist!

This a second chance romance about a divorced couple, who run a restaurant together whilst raising two children.

I have read only Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan and I absolutely loved her writing style, so it was a no brainier that I would love this aswell. This was such an emotional read as it deals with a lot of heavy topics. The main reason I love this book so much is because of how realisticl both Yasmen and Josiah are portrayed. Nobody’s perfect and you make mistakes, but they both learnt from them and have grown so much. I would say I definitely related to Deja, especially being the eldest daughter with a younger brother. It was also very rewarding seeing Yasmen and Josiah come back to each other. I wonder whose book will be next in the series.

TW: miscarriage, depression, suicid*l thoughts, grief, death of a loved one

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️